Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Oregon State University received a $300,000 project grant from the Institute of Food Production and Sustainability under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) (CFDA 10.310) to develop machine learning solutions for food shelf-life assessment. The award, effective February 1, 2026 through January 31, 2028, aims to address the significant problem of food waste in the United States, where 30-40% of the food supply is discarded annually due partly to inaccurate food quality and shelf-life assessments. The research will develop deep learning models that provide generalized and robust predictions of food shelf life while creating a user-friendly software application for assessing remaining shelf life using artificial intelligence (AI) and mobile imaging technology.

The expected deliverables include a rapid, non-destructive, and mobile imaging method for shelf-life prediction, a publicly available database of labeled food images for machine learning applications, and associated software tools that enable users to make informed food quality decisions without specialized equipment. This approach addresses the limitations of traditional destructive testing and subjective visual inspection methods, thereby enabling retailers, food service operators, and consumers to reduce food waste and optimize food utilization through improved, data-driven assessment capabilities.